GaAs devices have been unable to attain the full usefulness of Si-devices because the surface of GaAs has a high concentration of electrically harmful traps. A good GaAs surface passivation method would lead to a much improved GaAs based metal-insulator-semiconductor field effect transistor (MISFET). Thus, the benefits of FET Technology so widely exploited commercially in Si devices would become available for GaAs. A GaAs based MISFET would be faster than Si. In a second major area, GaAs microwave power MESFET Transistors would be vastly improved by reduction of inter-electrode surface leakage and breakdown.
Before one can passivate the GaAs surface, however, one must first prepare the surface for passivation by a priming or relaxing action.